Chad: Asylum

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation of refugees and internally displaced persons in Chad; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Eastern Chad hosts 240,000 Sudanese refugees in 12 refugee camps and 46,000 central African refugees in four refugee camps. There are 180,000 IDPs, and an estimated 700,000 in host communities have been adversely affected by the ongoing conflict. DFID relies on data from partner agencies for assessment of the humanitarian situation affecting the displaced populations, and the humanitarian situation in Chad is monitored closely by a dedicated west African humanitarian advisor. In financial year 2007-08, DFID has committed £6.5 million to Chad through humanitarian agencies. These include ICRC (3600,000), UNHCR (£2 million) UNOCHA (£260,000), Oxfam (£330,000), WFP (£1.8 million) and Islamic Relief (£500,000).
	Though conditions for refugees remain of concern, the immediate humanitarian needs of most of the refugee population are being addressed. In the majority of refugee camps, for example, refugees are receiving 15 litres of potable water per person per day, in accordance with international standards. According to the UN, refugees all have access to primary health care facilities, although vaccination coverage is less than the accepted level. The UN estimates that 82 per cent. of refugee school-age children are enrolled and attend school. In line with international nutritional norms, refugees are all receiving 2,100 kCal per person per day. Nutritional surveillance shows that in the refugee population, global acute malnutrition is 7.7 per cent. which is within the WHO-defined 'alert' band, and severe acute malnutrition is 0.75 per cent.—which is defined as 'acceptable'.
	The situation for the internally displaced population is more worrying; in many cases, standards fall below the internationally accepted norms. Of the total of 180,000 IDPs, only 125,000 are receiving more than 10 litres of potable water per person per day. The UN estimates that 70 per cent. of IDPs have access to primary health care facilities at utilisation rate of one visit per person per year, which is below what is to be expected for a displaced population. 2,100 kCal per day have been provided to a caseload of 150,000 IDPs. Global acute malnutrition levels are at 21.4 per cent. and severe acute malnutrition levels are at 2.6 per cent; both levels are classified by WHO as 'serious'. The UN notes that information relating to the full extent of coverage of humanitarian need is as yet incomplete. The situation for the host population, and those otherwise affected by the conflict, is very serious, with global and severe malnutrition figures comparable to those prevalent amongst the IDPs. The UN estimates that some 700,000 additional people fall into this category.

Topical Debates

Norman Baker: To ask the Leader of the House what criteria she uses to decide whether a subject proposed for a topical debate is topical.

Helen Goodman: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House to the hon. Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron) on 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1225W.

BBC

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the BBC on arrangements for the scrutiny of BBC expenditure by the Committee of Public Accounts.

Andy Burnham: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (James Purnell) have had recent discussions. The matter was fully addressed during Charter review and I am satisfied that the current arrangements strike the right balance between protecting public resources and maintaining the independence of the BBC. We have no plans to propose any changes.

Sport: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from which budget headings of  (a) his Department and  (b) UK Sport the £2.8 million UK contribution to the International Inspiration programme will come; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The total funding that has been secured for the pilot phase of the International Inspiration programme is £9.25 million, which was rounded to £9 million for the announcement.
	The sources of that funding are:
	
		
			  (£ million) 
			  Source  
			 Premier League 4.20 
			 DFID via UK Sport (funds transferred to UK Sport Grant in Aid via the winter supplementary estimates—£1million in 2007-08 and £1million in 2008-09) 2.00 
			 DCMS of which 0.15 from departmental other sport support budget and 0.20 transferred to UK Sport Grant in Aid via the winter supplementary estimates 0.35 
			 UNICEF 1.45 
			 British Council 1.25 
			 Total 9.25 
		
	
	In addition the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has agreed, as part of the programme, to dedicate up to 12 Chevening scholarships per year until 2012 for post-graduate studies in sports administration. Over the period of the pilot phase of international inspiration this has a value of £0.425 million.

Departmental Consultants

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultancy contracts his Department issued in each year since 2005; what the  (a) value,  (b) purpose and  (c) contractor was in each case; and whether the consultant's report is publicly available in each case.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 25 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 477-478W, where I stated that I had placed in the Library of the House a list of contracts signed by MOD with a net value of more than 20,000 in financial year 2006-07 on management and business consultancy, finance and accountancy consultancy, corporate governance and audit consultancy, and public/private partnership and private finance initiative consultancy that passed through a centralised approval process. These figures do not contain spend by the MOD's trading funds or agencies or on other types of consultancy.
	Information on organisations, including consultancy firms, paid £5 million or more by the MOD in each financial year is published in the UK Defence Statistics. Copies are also placed in the Library of the House.
	Furthermore, details of the Department's spend on external assistance, of which consultancy is a part, has been reported to Ministers since 1995-96: summaries are again available in the Library.

Departmental ICT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) start date,  (b) original planned completion date,  (c) current expected completion date,  (d) planned cost and  (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: As at 21 November 2007, the Ministry of Defence identified around 1,100 information technology systems in service or in development, and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Ingram) gave on 6 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 809-10W, to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), which addressed the MOD's five largest information technology projects at the time.

Departmental Land

Nick Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department transferred 50 acres of land at East Blockhouse, Angle, Pembrokeshire to QinetiQ on 27 March 2002; how much was received by his Department for the land; and what covenants  (a) existed and  (b) were placed on the land at the time of the transfer.

Derek Twigg: The land at Angle, formerly owned by the Ministry of Defence, was transferred on 1 July 2001 to QinetiQ as part of the operational estate of the former Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which was privatised on that date. Releasing individual valuations could adversely impact on potential disposal receipts should QinetiQ dispose of the site in the future. For information, the value of all property in the overall transaction as reported in the QinetiQ opening balance sheet was £342 million for land and buildings plus £98 million for surplus properties.
	Regarding covenants, the sale would have transferred all those in the original conveyance of 1901 that were still applicable, together with those usually included in any property transaction. In addition there were certain specific covenants applying to all the sites included in the privatisation, including responsibility to repay a proportion of excess profits, over an agreed value and subject to a sliding scale, by way of clawback clause. There was also obligation to consider the Crichel Down rules in relation to any future disposal.

Departmental Land

Nick Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of his Department's compliance with the Crichel Down rules in the disposal of 50 acres of land at East Blockhouse, Angle, Pembrokeshire on 27 March 2002.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence transferred the former Angle site in Pembrokeshire to QinetiQ on 1 July 2001. The Crichel Down rules only apply to land acquired from 1935 onwards. As the site was acquired by the MOD in 1901, the rules did not apply. The transfer was also made under exemption 14 (6) of the 1992 version of the Crichel Down rules in use at that time.
	It is understood that QinetiQ have subsequently sold the site as part of their rationalisation process.

Cycling

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to increase the safety of cyclists on roads.

Jim Fitzpatrick: On 21 January this year, we announced we are investing a record £140 million in cycling over the next three years. This will enable an extra 500,000 children to have access to the new Bikeability cycle training by 2012 and create many additional safer walking and cycling routes to at least 500 schools.
	Measures to improve road safety for all cyclists include providing better infrastructure, promoting cycle training, improved training and testing for motorists and encouraging cyclists to protect themselves, by making themselves conspicuous and by wearing a safety helmet.
	The new edition of the Highway Code, published in September 2007, includes enhanced advice to all road users to look out for and be aware of vulnerable road users, including cyclists. To make drivers more aware of cyclists the theory test question bank
	contains a large number of questions about vulnerable road users. The screen-based theory test allows the use of digitised video clips to help test hazard perception with moving images, which include cyclists.
	We concentrate our cycle safety publicity on teenagers and younger children, as these are the most vulnerable groups. We have run various cycle safety campaigns over the last 10 years. Currently, cycling safety messages for younger children are included on the Hedgehogs website including advice and games. In 2006 we produced an online advertisement for children called 'No helmet, no ride', which encourages children to wear a cycle helmet.
	There is also the cyclesense website aimed at teenage cyclists, giving advice and tips of cycling safety. In 2007 we ran an MTV/THINK! competition, where teenagers were asked to come up with ideas for TV commercials about road safety, including cycling, aimed at their peers. This activity ran over five months and the three best ideas were produced as TV commercials and teens voted for their favourite ad online.
	The Department's leaflet 'Drive Safe Cycle Safe' also encourages drivers and cyclists to share the road safely. The Department has grant funded a number of projects to improve road safety for cyclists including a ROSPA produced DVD on safety for cyclists and lorries.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport public consultation document, what monetary value she has placed on the reduction in costs to passengers noted in paragraph 2.37, page 143-144; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 25 January 2008
	The breakdown of the monetised benefits from each option in the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport1 consultation document is given in table 4.3 (p79) of 'UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts', available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	The following table reproduces the figures for the three consultation document options. The first bullet point of paragraph 2.37, page 143-144, of the consultation
	
		
			  Option  One  Two  Three 
			 Generated users 9 9 9 
			 Existing users (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Freight users (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Producers 5 5 5 
			 Government 3 3 3 
			 Carbon (1)5 (1)5 (1)5 
			 Noise (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Delay Reductions:
			 Users (2)— 1 2 
			 Carbon (2)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Total 12 13 14 
			 (1) Non-zero impact is estimated, but the result rounds to nought at zero decimal places.  (2) No impact has been estimated.   Note:  Figures are rounded to zero decimal places.

Departmental Consultants

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultancy contracts his Department issued in each year since 2005; what the  (a) value,  (b) purpose and  (c) contractor was in each case; and whether the consultant's report is publicly available in each case.

Meg Munn: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Annual expenditure on external consultants is published in the Department's annual reports, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The two most recent annual reports also contain details of expenditure on the top five consultancy suppliers. The vast majority of work undertaken for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by consultants is associated with its major Information Communication Technology and Estate construction programmes.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemsworth (Jon Trickett) on 6 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1427W, and to the reply to my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. Murphy) gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 9 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 542-43W.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost was of engaging Veredus Recruitment Consultants to recruit the Chair, Commissioner and Non-Executives for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission;
	(2)  what criteria were used in selecting Veredus Recruitment Consultants to recruit the Chair, Commissioner and Non-Executives for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 87WS. The precise costs incurred to engage Veredus to recruit the Chair, Commissioner and non-executives for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission are commercially confidential.
	The selection of Veredus Recruitment Consultants to recruit the Chair Commissioner and non-executives for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission was made through the Cabinet Office framework for services of this type and was based on the principles of fair and open competition and value for money.

Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people were living in relative poverty, below 40 per cent. of median income, in the UK in each year between 1979 and 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The most common and internationally recognised threshold to measure poverty is income below 60 per cent. of median. We do not present information covering 40 per cent. of median income in our Households Below Average Income series as it is not a good measure of poverty. This is because households stating the lowest incomes to the family resources survey (FRS) may not actually have the lowest living standards. Many people who report very low incomes appear to have high spending. Hence any statistics on numbers in this group may be misleading.
	Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06". This annual report, which is a National Statistics publication, includes the numbers and proportions of individuals, children, working age adults and pensioners with incomes below 50 per cent. 60 per cent. and 70 per cent. of median income, and the proportions in persistent poverty.
	Available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of individuals living below 40 per cent. of median income in each year between 1979 and 2005-06 where data is available 
			   Before Housing Costs  After Housing Costs 
			   Number (million)  Percentage  Number (million)  Per cent 
			 1979 1.0 2 1.3 2 
			 1981 1.1 2 1.5 3 
			 1987 1.5 3 2.8 5 
			 1988-89 2.4 4 3.9 7 
			 1990-91 3.1 5 4.7 8 
			 1991-92 2.9 5 4.8 9 
			 1992-93 2.9 5 5.0 9 
			 1993-95 2.6 5 5.0 9 
			 1994-96 2.4 4 5.0 9 
			 1995-97 2.4 4 5.2 9 
			  
			 1994-95 2.3 4 4.6 8 
			 1995-96 2.3 4 4.2 8 
			 1996-97 2.4 4 4.9 9 
			 1997-98 2.7 5 4.8 9 
			  
			 1998-99 2.7 5 4.8 8 
			 1999-00 2.9 5 4.9 9 
			 2000-01 3.0 5 4.9 8 
			 2001-02 2.8 5 4.6 8 
			 2002-03 3.0 5 4.9 8 
			 2003-04 3.0 5 5.0 9 
			 2004-05 2.9 5 4.9 8 
			 2005-06 3.2 5 5.2 9 
			  Sources:   1. 1979 to 199:7 Family Expenditure Survey (UK)   2. 1994 to 1998: Family Resources Survey (GB)   3. 1998 to 2006: Family Resources Survey (UK)

Poverty: Council Tax

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people classed as living in poverty paid full council tax in each financial year since 1993-94.

Caroline Flint: Fewer poor households would pay full council tax, if households took up their entitlement to council tax benefit. According to the National Statistics publication, 'Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up in 2005-06', take-up of council tax benefit by non-pensioners is relatively high (in the range of 73 to 81 per cent. of those eligible in 2005-06). While the level of council tax benefit take-up in 2005-06 among pensioners is lower, it increased as a percentage of those eligible in 2005-06 for the first time since 1997 to the range 54 to 60 per cent.
	Available information of how many households in poverty paid full council tax is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households (millions) in relative poverty paying full council tax 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 1994-95 2.2 2.4 
			 1995-96 2.0 2.2 
			 1996-97 2.1 2.3 
			 1997-98 2.2 2.3 
			 1998-99 2.3 2.5 
			 1999-2000 2.5 2.6 
			 2000-01 2.6 2.8 
			 2001-02 2.7 2.8 
			 2002-03 2.7 2.9 
			 2003-04 2.7 2.8 
			 2004-05 2.6 2.8 
			 2005-06 2.7 3.0 
			  Notes:  1. Data are not available from this source for 1993-94.  2. The information shown is for Great Britain.  3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses disposable household income, equivalised for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  4. The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors.  5. The preferred measure of low income is by using a threshold of 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income. This is an internationally recognised measure.  6. Figures have been presented on both a before housing cost and after housing cost basis. For before housing cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing cost they are. This means that after housing cost incomes will generally be lower than before housing cost.  7. Tables show numbers in millions rounded to the nearest £100 thousand.   Source:  Family Resources Survey, 1994/95 to 2005-06.

Unemployment

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell of 7 January 2007,  Official Report, column 5, what proportion of children are living in workless households in  (a) the UK and  (b) each other EU member state.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 14 January 2008
	The latest UK Labour Force Survey data indicate that 15.9 per cent. of children live in workless households, a fall of 450,000 (or 2.9 percentage points) since 1997. This is greater than the rate of improvement seen in the EU15, where the proportion of children in workless households has fallen by 1.9 percentage points since 1997.
	There has been a similar above average improvement in the proportion of children in relative poverty since 1997 as the Secretary of State indicated in answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 5.
	Detailed information on the current position by country of the proportions of children in workless households is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Proportion of children living in workless households in the UK and other EU states in 2007 
			   Percentage 
			 EU (27 countries) (1)9.4 
			 EU15 (1)9.3 
			 United Kingdom (ONS estimate) 15.9 
			 United Kingdom (Eurostat estimate) 16.7 
			 Hungary 14.0 
			 Belgium 13.5 
			 Bulgaria 12.9 
			 Ireland 11.2 
			 Slovakia 10.5 
			 France 9.8 
			 Croatia (2)9.8 
			 Poland 9.5 
			 Romania 9.4 
			 Germany 9.3 
			 Latvia 8.6 
			 Malta 8.4 
			 Czech Republic 7.9 
			 Estonia 7.3 
			 Lithuania 6.9 
			 Austria 6.1 
			 Netherlands 5.9 
			 Italy 5.8 
			 Denmark (2)5.0 
			 Spain 5.0 
			 Finland (2)4.9 
			 Portugal 4.8 
			 Luxembourg 4.0 
			 Greece 3.9 
			 Cyprus 3.7 
			 Slovenia 2.5 
			 (1) Estimate.  (2) Data refer to 2006.   Note:  Eurostat definition of children in workless households is "children aged 0 to 17 who are living in households where no one is working". Definition used by ONS is "percentage of children aged under 16 in a working-age household where no adult works".   Source:  EU Labour Force Survey and UK Office for National Statistics.

Unemployment: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many workless households there were in Peterborough constituency in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of workless households in the Peterborough Constituency. (181557)
	The attached table gives the number of workless working-age households in Peterborough Constituency for the three months ending in June of 1999 and 2001-2007. Comparable figures for 1997, 1998 and 2000 are not currently available. The figures in the table are estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
	A household is defined as a single person, or a group of people living at the same address who have the address as their only main residence and either share one main meal a day or share the living accommodation (or both). A workless working-age household is one that includes at least one person of working age and in -which no-one aged 16 or over is in employment.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Workless households( 1)  in Peterborough parliamentary constituency( 2 ) April-June 1999 to 2007, not seasonally adjusted 
			   Thousand 
			   Number of workless households 
			 1999 5 
			 2000 n/a 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 5 
			 2003 5 
			 2004 4 
			 2005 6 
			 2006 6 
			 2007 4 
			 n/a = comparable estimates for 2000 are not currently available. (1) A workless household is a household with at least one person of working age (male aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59), and in which no one aged 16 or over is in employment. (2) Figures have not been adjusted to include estimates for households with unknown economic activity.  Note: As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin or uncertainty.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to introduce a badger cull in those area in Devon most affected by Bovine TB.

Jonathan R Shaw: The question of whether badger culling has a role to play in controlling bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle is complex.
	We are currently considering this complex issue, taking into account all the available scientific evidence, including the final report of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) and the assessment of the scientific evidence made by the Government's former chief scientific adviser, Sir David King. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn), has already met with former members of the ISG including Professor John Bourne; and separately with Sir David King. We also wish to take into account the views from the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee following its inquiry into badgers and bovine TB.
	While we are keen to make progress on reaching a decision, there is no specific timetable for doing so.

Departmental Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what items of his Department's  (a) revenue and  (b) expenditure are uprated using (i) the consumer prices index, (ii) the retail prices index and (iii) other measures of inflation.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on what items of the Department's revenue and expenditure are uprated using the consumer prices index, the retail prices index, and other measures of inflation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	There is no presumption of uprating revenue and expenditure items as a matter of course. The Department considers the applicability or otherwise of uprating revenue and expenditive items in the context of inflation management dependent on, but not limited to: the prevailing market conditions; the nature and type of revenue and expenditure; the terms of enabling legislation; fees and charges guidance; the duration of the revenue and expenditure; the appropriate index and indices for the revenue and expenditure category; service performance and delivery and, scheme conditions. Contract clauses where agreed pertaining to inflation management are commercial in confidence.

Eggs: Labelling

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the results have been of the investigations by his Department and others into the allegations of incorrect labelling of free-range eggs as announced in his news release of 15 November 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Investigations into possible criminal activities are continuing.
	The news release of 15 November 2006, announced that DEFRA had become concerned about possible illegal practice in the egg industry. In the course of investigations information had come to light that eggs had been incorrectly labelled, including the labelling of non-free range eggs as free range. The Government called on the egg industry and retailers to ensure that the eggs they are selling are correctly labelled. The Egg Marketing Inspectorate are continuing to focus their activities in this area, to ensure that any eggs marketed in this country are correctly identified.

Flood Controls

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidelines on managing flood risk his Department has issued to  (a) local education authorities,  (b) local authority social services departments,  (c) the Highways Agency, ( d) Network Rail and  (e) utilities companies.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA and the Environment Agency produce flood risk information and general advice through a range of media. Since the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA 2004) was introduced, my Department has contributed to a significant amount of national guidance prepared by the Cabinet Office on managing risks, including flooding. This guidance is for the wider emergency planning community and is accessible on the UK resilience website and covers emergency planning, response and recovery aspects of flooding.
	All local authorities and their respective departments, the Highways Agency, Network Rail and utility companies should be referring to this guidance when fulfilling their emergency planning duties and responsibilities under the CCA.
	With regards to local education authorities, the Department for Education and schools has developed a series of web pages giving advice on how Schools can cope with emergencies, one of which is on flooding.

Floods: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the flood defence grant in aid budget for the next three financial years for  (a) Ribble Valley constituency and  (b) the Lancashire county council area; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much he has allocated to the Environment Agency via the flood defence grant in aid for the Lancashire area for each of the next three financial years for  (a) capital and  (b) revenue expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have regular discussions with the Environment Agency on a range of issues including national funding levels. However decisions on individual regional funding allocations are a matter for the Agency.
	Flood and coastal erosion risk spending will rise from its current level of £600 million to £800 million in 2010-11. No final decisions have yet been made on how these record levels of investment will be allocated but a formal announcement will be made in due course.

Floods: Midlands

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the flood defence grant in aid budget for the next three financial years for the Midlands area; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much he has allocated to the Environment Agency via the flood defence grant in aid for the Midlands area for each of the next three financial years, in  (a) capital and  (b) revenue; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer given 24 January 2008
	I have regular discussions with the Environment Agency on a range of issues including national funding levels. However, decisions on individual regional funding allocations are a matter for the agency.
	Flood and coastal erosion risk spending will rise from its current level of £600 million, to £800 million in 2010-11. No final decisions have yet been made on how these record levels of investment will be allocated but a formal announcement will be made in due course.

Food: Glyphosate

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the maximum residue limit is for glyphosate in  (a) soya meal,  (b) whole soya beans,  (c) tofu,  (d) soya pieces and mince,  (e) soya oil,  (f) eggs,  (g) poultry meat,  (h) milk and dairy products,  (i) beef and  (j) pork; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 25 January 2008
	European community maximum residue levels (MRLs) are set on primary produce rather than processed products. There are therefore no EC MRLs for  (a) soya meal,  (c) tofu,  (d) soya pieces and mince,  (e) soya oil. The EC MRLs for the primary produce are:
	
		
			   Mg/kg 
			   EC MRL 
			 Whole soya beans 20 
			 Eggs (1)0.01 
			 Poultry meat 0.05 
			 Milk and dairy products (1)0.01 
			 Beef 0.05 
			 Pork 0.05 
			 (1) The limit of determination (LOD) is the lowest concentration of a pesticide residue that can be measured using routine analysis.

Food: Glyphosate

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what soya products have been tested for glyphosate residues by the Pesticides Residues Committee since 1996; what the country of origin of each product was; what the date of each test was; and what level of any glyphosate was found to be present in each case.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 25 January 2008
	In 1999 the predecessor to the Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC), the Working Party on Pesticide Residues (WPPR) analysed 43 samples of soya products for 13 pesticide residues including glyphosate at a reporting level of 0.1 mg/kg. The products included were soya milk, soya mince, and tofu. Glyphosate was not found at or above the reporting level in any of the samples.
	In their quarter 2 report of 2006 published in December 2006 the Pesticide Residues Committee reported the results of their survey of 60 samples of soya milk. Glyphosate was sought but not found at or above the reporting level of 0.1 mg/kg in any of the samples.
	In their quarter 4 report of 2006 published in June 2007 the PRC reported the results for their survey of 60 samples of soya pieces and tofu. Glyphosate was sought but not found at or above the reporting level of 0.1 mg/kg in 49 out of the 60 samples. It was found at levels ranging from 0.1 to 1.1 mg/kg in 11 samples as outlined in the following table.
	The country of origin is taken from the food packaging, it may be the country where the soya was grown, or where the food was produced or where it was packed for sale.
	
		
			  Date of sample  Description  Country of origin  Retail outlet  Address  Brand name  Packer/manufacturer  Pesticide residues found in mg/kg (MRL 
			 13 November 2006 Meat free soya mince UK Asda Bruton Way, Gloucester, GL1 1LS Asda Asda Stores Ltd, Southbank, Great Wilson street, Leeds LS11 5AD Glyphosate0.2 (no MRL) 
			 
			 13 November 2006 Meat free soya mince UK Asda Bruton Way, Gloucester, GL1 1LS Asda Asda Stores Ltd, Southbank, Great Wilson street, Leeds LS11 5AD Glyphosate 0.1 (no MRL) 
			 
			 14 October 2006 Savoury mince Brazil Holland and Barrett Ernside Shopping Centre, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, BT74 6JQ Natures Harvest Natures Harvest, Burton-upon-Trent, DE14 2WP Glyphosate 0.9 (no MRL) 
			 
			 13 October 2006 Soya mince Brazil Holland and Barrett High street, Arbroath, DD11 1DZ Natures Harvest Natures Harvest Burton-upon-Trent, DE14 2WP Glyphosate 0.1 (no MRL) 
			 
			 30 October 2006 Unflavoured soya mince Brazil Holland and Barrett Mostyn street, Llandudno, LL30 3BD Natures Nature's Harvest Harvest Burton-upon-Trent, DE14 2WP Glyphosate 0.1 (no MRL) 
			 
			 10 November 2006 Soya mince Brazil Holland and Barrett High street, Arbroath, DD11 1DZ Natures Harvest Natures Harvest, Burton-upon- Trent, DE14 2WP Glyphosate 1.1 (no MRL) 
			 
			 11 November 2006 Soya mince The Netherlands Holland and Barrett Long Causeway, Peterborough, PE1 1YJ Natures Harvest Natures Harvest, Burton-upon-Trent, DE14 2WP Glyphosate 0.1 (no MRL) 
			 
			 8 November 2006 Soya mince UK Sainsbury's Etherstone Avenue, Long Benton, NE7 7JW Sainsbury's Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, 33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT Glyphosate 0.1 (no MRL) 
			 
			 12 November 2006 Soya mince Brazil Tesco Pasteur road, Great Yarmouth, NR31 ODW  Tesco Stores Ltd, Delamare road, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire ENS 9SL Glyphosate0.4 (No MRL) 
			 
			 20 November 2006 Soya mince Brazil Tesco Broad street, Teddington, TW11 8RF Tesco Tesco Stores Ltd, Delamare road, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire ENS 9SL Glyphosate 0.3 (no MRL) 
			 
			 31 October 2006 Bean feast mince UK Wm Morrison Newgate Park Centre, Bob Hardisty Drive, DL14 7TN Batchelves Campbell Grocery Ltd, PO Box 1086, Hardwick road, Kings Lynn, PC30 4FB Glyphosate 0.2 (no MRL)

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) households and  (b) rural households in England received Warm Front grants in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the average value of a Warm Front grant to a rural household in England was in that period.

Phil Woolas: A total of 277,194 households in England received Warm Front grants for the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.
	Of these, 41,044 were classified as rural households under the criteria set out by the Office of National Statistics.
	The average value of a grant to those rural households was £1,332.44.

Housing: South West

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will set up the Rural Housing Challenge Fund through the Housing Corporation to build public housing in rural areas of South West England; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Communities and Local Government is providing £8.4 billion over the three-year period 2008-11 for affordable housing. This underlines the Government's commitment to tackling difficulties faced by those unable to afford a home. Regional allocations reflect the advice of the regional assemblies (and the Mayor of London) on priorities for their areas.
	In the South West, a budget of £241 million has been allocated for 2008-09, an increase of 25 per cent. on the 2007-08 budget. This includes funding for local authority Decent Homes and private sector renewal in urban and rural areas. How much of this is spent on housing in rural communities is determined by the regional assembly, in consultation with local authorities, with ministerial agreement.
	As part of its preparations for the comprehensive spending review 9CSR) during the summer of 2007, DEFRA asked the Housing Corporation to provide advice on the feasibility of a potential revenue funding programme to support improvements in local capacity and delivery of affordable housing across rural England. That advice will be carefully considered in decisions about departmental spending priorities over the CSR period. No decisions about the fund have yet been made. We are currently finalising the Department's overall funding package and an announcement will be made shortly.

Marine Management Organisation

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what role the Marine Management Organisation will have in delivering government commitments on  (a) the ecosystem approach,  (b) sustainable development and  (c) the protection of biodiversity in the marine environment;
	(2)  if he will set out his objectives for the Marine Management Organisation in advance of the publication of the draft Marine Bill;
	(3)  if he will establish the Marine Management Organisation prior to the development of a marine policy statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will be operating under the marine policy statement which will set out our commitment on a range of marine policies. The importance of the ecosystem approach and ensuring sustainable development will be an integral part of this policy statement.
	With regard to the protection of biodiversity in the marine environment, the MMO will be subject to the duty contained in section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, to have regard, so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of its functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity. In addition, we are proposing that the MMO be responsible for making byelaws to protect marine conservation zones from potentially damaging activities.
	The Marine Management Organisation will act as a champion for the integrated management of our seas, contributing to sustainable development by bringing together the delivery of many of the marine functions of the UK Government. The draft Marine Bill will reflect this, and objectives will be set in advance of the new organisation being formed, but we will not be setting out our objectives for the Marine Management Organisation in advance of the publication.
	The exact timing of the development of the policy statement will depend on the passage of the Marine Bill. However, we are aiming to put the statement in place as soon as possible so that we can provide a clear policy direction to the MMO.

Noise

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish a national noise strategy.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government plan to publish a combined National Noise Strategy for England, covering ambient and neighbourhood noise, later this year.

Rural Payments Agency: Information Officers

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the number of communication and press staff listed as working for the Rural Payments Agency in the Central Office of Information's White Book differs from the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 280W, on the Rural Payments Agency.

Jonathan R Shaw: Hansard correctly reports that the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) employs one press officer who spends half their time on press activities.
	The RPA communications team, of which the press office forms part, is also responsible for a wide range of other communications functions. These include publications, advertising, internal communication and web management. All these staff are listed in RPA's entry in the white book.

Waste Disposal: Domestic Wastes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which local authorities have now ceased weekly collections of residual household rubbish according to records held by  (a) his Department and  (b) Waste Resource Action Programme across the United Kingdom;
	(2)  which local authorities in the United Kingdom have alternate weekly collections of household rubbish according to records held by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme; and on what date the alternate weekly collection was introduced in each case;
	(3)  which local authorities are undertaking pilot schemes in relation to introducing alternate weekly collections of household rubbish according to the Waste Resources Action Programme records.

Joan Ruddock: The Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP) most recent list of local authorities providing an alternate weekly collection (AWC) service is shown in the following list. Most local authorities have weekly collections, alternating collection services—one week for recyclables, one week for residual waste—but a number of scheme types exist and this includes cases where recyclables are collected every week. This list represents WRAP'S best understanding at present of local authorities operating or implementing such schemes.
	Any funding allocated to local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
	Neither DEFRA nor WRAP record the date on which individual local authorities change the frequency of waste collections.
	 Local authorities operating less than weekly residual waste collections( 1)
	Alnwick District Council
	Amber Valley
	Ashfleld District Council
	Aylesbury Vale District Council(2)
	Babergh District Council
	Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
	Bassetlaw District Council
	Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council
	Blackpool Borough Council
	Blyth Valley Borough Council
	Boston Borough Council
	Braintree District Council
	Breckland District Council
	Bridgnorth District Council
	Bristol City Council
	Broadland District Council
	Bromsgrove District Council
	Broxtowe Borough Council
	Burnley Borough Council
	Cambridge City Council
	Cannock Chase District Council
	Canterbury City Council
	Carlisle City Council
	Castle Morpeth Borough Council
	Charnwood Borough Council
	Cherwell District Council
	Chesterfield Borough Council
	Chichester District Council
	Chiltern District Council
	Chorley Borough Council
	Copeland Borough Council
	Corby Borough Council
	Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council
	Dacorum Borough Council
	Daventry District Council
	Derby City Council
	Derwentside District Council
	Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
	East Hampshire District Council
	East Lindsey District Council
	Eastleigh Borough Council
	Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council
	Epping Borough Council
	Erewash Borough Council
	Exeter City Council
	Fenland District Council
	Forest Heath District Council
	Fylde Borough Council
	Gedling Borough Council
	Gosport Borough Council
	Great Yarmouth Borough Council
	Hambleton District Council
	Harborough District Council
	Hartlepool Borough Council
	Havant Borough Council
	Hertsmere Borough Council
	Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council
	High Peak Borough Council
	Huntingdonshire District Council
	Hyndburn Borough Council
	Ipswich Borough Council
	Kennet District Council
	Kettering Borough Council
	Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
	Lancaster City Council
	Lichfield District Council
	Lincoln City Council
	London Borough of Harrow
	Macclesfield Borough Council
	Mansfield District Council
	Melton Borough Council
	Mendip District Council
	Mid Bedfordshire District Council
	Mid Devon District Council
	Mid Suffolk District Council
	Mid Sussex District Council
	Mole Valley District Council
	Newark and Sherwood District Council
	North Devon District Council
	North Hertfordshire District Council
	North Kesteven District Council
	North Lincolnshire Council
	North Norfolk District Council
	North Shropshire District Council
	North West Leicestershire District Council
	Northampton Borough Council
	Nottingham City Council
	Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council(2)
	Oswestry Borough Council
	Oxford City Council
	Pendle Borough Council
	Peterborough City Council
	Preston Borough Council
	Purbeck District Council
	Reading Borough Council
	Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
	Redditich Borough Council
	Richmondshire District Council
	Rochdale MBC
	Rochford District Council
	Rossendale Borough Council
	Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
	Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames(2)
	Rushcliffe Borough Council
	Rushmoor Borough Council(2)
	Ryedale District Council
	Scarborough Borough Council
	Sefton MBC
	Shepway District Council
	Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
	South Buckinghamshire District Council(2)
	South Cambridgeshire District Council
	South Derbyshire District Council
	South Gloucestershire Council
	South Hams District Council
	South Kesteven District Council
	South Lakeland District Council
	South Norfolk District Council
	South Northamptonshire Council
	South Ribble Borough Council
	South Shropshire District Council
	South Somerset District Council
	South Staffordshire District Council
	St. Edmundsbury Borough Council
	Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
	Suffolk Coastal District Council(2)
	Swale Borough Council
	Swindon Borough Council
	Tamworth Borough Council
	Taunton Deane Borough Council
	Teignbridge District Council
	Telford and Wrekin Borough Council
	Test Valley Borough Council
	Tonbridge and Mailing Borough Council
	Torbay Council
	Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
	Tynedale District Council
	Uttlesford District Council
	Vale Royal Borough Council
	Wansbeck District Council
	Waveney District Council
	Waverley Borough Council
	Wealden District Council
	Wellingborough Borough Council
	West Lancashire District Council
	West Wiltshire District Council
	Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
	Winchester City Council
	Wirral MBC
	Woking Borough Council
	Worcester City Council
	Wycombe District Council
	Wyre Borough Council
	Wyre Forest District Council
	York City Council
	(1) Not all schemes are borough wide.
	(2 )Trial

Waste Disposal: Domestic Wastes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the destination was of garden waste collected from residents homes by each waste collection authority in Hampshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: All local authorities report the destination of their collected municipal waste to WasteDataFlow. The table shows the reported destinations of green waste or other compostable waste (both categories will include waste from gardens) sent for composting by Hampshire county council and its waste collection authorities during January to March 2007.
	The destination list in WasteDataFlow that authorities can report against is populated by the Environment Agency's lists of licensed sites. These are identified as the location (by postcode) along with the waste processor that owns the site. Some material will go to sites which are exempt from a waste management licence. These are identified as 'Other/exempt' in the list. In these cases, further details on the location of destination sites are not recorded.
	
		
			  Municipal green waste and other compostable waste by destination as reported by Hampshire county council and its waste collection authorities (January to March 2006-07) 
			  Authority  Destination  Tonnage sent  Material type 
			 Winchester City Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd—RG25 2NS 357 Green waste only 
			 Test Valley Borough Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd, SO20 6BU 377 Green waste only 
			 Rushmoor Borough Council Other/exempt 129 Green waste only 
			 New Forest District Council Eco—Composting Limited, BH23 6BG 282 Green waste only 
			 Havant Borough Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd, PO16 8TR 23 Green waste only 
			 Hart District Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd—RG25 2NS 313 Green waste only 
			 Gosport Borough Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd, PO16 8TR 42 Green waste only 
			 Fareham Borough Council Other/exempt 1,155 Green waste only 
			 Eastleigh Borough Council Other/exempt 374 Green waste only 
			 Eastleigh Borough Council Other/exempt 24 Other compostable waste 
			 East Hampshire District Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd—RG25 2NS 290 Green waste only 
			 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd—RG25 2NS 61 Green waste only 
			 Hampshire County Council Other/exempt 2,283 Green waste only 
			 Hampshire County Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd, PO16 8TR 1,855 Green waste only 
			 Hampshire County Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd, SO20 6BU 2,204 Green waste only 
			 Hampshire County Council Onyx (Hampshire) Ltd—RG25 2NS 2,346 Green waste only 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow (Question 19)

Wastes

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the percentage of waste generated in the UK by  (a) business and  (b) households in each of the last five years; and what his future projections are of these figures for the next five years.

Joan Ruddock: Waste management is a devolved matter, so the following data are for England only.
	The Environment Agency's 2002-03 commercial and industrial waste survey is the most comprehensive and up-to-date evidence on the sources, quantities and management of commercial and industrial in England. No comparable data are available for other years.
	The total commercial and industrial waste arisings in 2002-03 (including the hazardous waste stream) was estimated at 67.9 million tonnes, comprising 37.6 million tonnes from industrial sources (14 per cent. of total waste arisings) and 30.3 million tonnes from commercial sources (11 per cent. of total waste arisings).
	Household waste arisings made up a total of 10 per cent. of the total waste arisings in 2002-03. Since total waste arisings in other years is not known, percentage figures for these years cannot be provided.
	Forecasts of future waste arisings, in both the household and business sectors in England, are set out in Annex A (Appendix 1) of the Waste Strategy for England 2007, copies of which are available from the Library of the House. Figures take account of a variety of scenarios using a range of assumptions to reflect possible demographic, economic and lifestyle changes that will influence waste arisings—quite apart from the influence of specific policies.

Asylum

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many questionnaires for asylum seekers under the Legacy Casework Programme have been  (a) issued,  (b) completed and returned and  (c) returned incomplete since the programme began; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There have been nearly 9,600 questionnaires issued since May 2007 and around 8,400 of these have been completed.
	The questionnaire is only for applicants whose cases are among the older, unresolved ones that are not being considered by our teams in regional offices around the country.
	Not all applicants will receive a questionnaire. Applicants will only be sent a questionnaire if we think we need more up-to-date information on the applicant's case before we review it. If the application is a straightforward one, or the applicant has recently been in touch with us, we will not need to send a questionnaire.
	In her recent update to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 17 December 2007, Lin Homer (chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency) gave an undertaking to provide further updates to the Committee every six months.

Departmental Telephone Service

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by  (a) her Department and  (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number  Purpose  Type 
			 0870 521 0410 Passport advice line Phone 
			 0870 240 8090 Passport advice line (Text Phone Service) Minicon 
			 0870 243 4477 Passport inquiries for High Street Partners Phone 
			 0870 243 1902 Passport Complaints Phone 
			 0870 909 0778 Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure dispute line Phone 
			 0870 125 1256 Siemens Business Services Query Letters Phone 
			 0870 909 0844 Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure application line Phone 
			 0870 909 0223 Criminal Records Bureau Welsh Language Line Phone 
			 0870 909 0344 Criminal Records Bureau Minicon 
			 0870 241 4680 Home Office's mailing house, Prolog Phone 
			 0870 241 4786 Home Office's mailing house, Prolog Fax 
			 0870 220 2000 TOGETHER (advice line for practitioners on tackling antisocial behaviour). Phone 
			 0870 336 9031 Contact Private Office to Jacqui Smith Fax 
			 0870 336 9032 Contact Private Office to Lord West Fax 
			 0870 336 9033 Contact Private Office to Vernon Coaker Fax 
			 0870 336 9034 Contact Private Office to Liam Byrne Fax 
			 0870 336 9035 Contact Private Office to Tony McNulty Fax 
			 0870 336 9036 Contact Private Office to Meg Hillier Fax 
			 0870 336 9048 Contact Parliamentary Team Fax 
			 0870 336 9045 Contact Ministers' Special Advisers Fax 
			 0870 336 9041 Contact Private Office Management Support Unit Fax 
			 0870 336 9037 Contact Permanent Secretary's Office Fax 
			 0870 243 0100 Security Industry Authority Phone 
			 0845 010 6677 Employers1 Helpline Phone 
			 0845 039 8002 PROSPECTS helpline Phone 
			 0845 601 2298 BIA Evidence and Enquiry line Phone 
			 0870 240 3781 Immigration Enquiry Bureau (enforcement and removals -recorded message only) Phone 
			 0845 300 2002 Independent Police Complaints Commission Phone 
			 0870 909 0811 Criminal Records Bureau General Inquiries Phone 
			 0870 909 0822 Criminal Records Bureau Registration Information Line Phone 
			 0845 602 1739 Enquiries about asylum support applications Phone 
			 0870 606 7766 Immigration Enquiry Bureau Phone 
			 0870 241 0645 Requests for immigration application forms Phone 
			 0845 010 5200 Nationality telephone enquiries Phone 
			 0870 521 0224 BIA Work Permits Literature Order Line Phone 
			 0845 600 0914 Asylum Support Customer Contact Centre Phone 
			 0870 241 6523 Enquiries about the work of the BIA Complaints Unit and advice to callers about how to complain Phone

Departmental Telephone Service

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which telephone contact centres are the responsibility of her Department; what mechanisms are in place to monitor their effectiveness; and how many people have been employed in each of those centres in each year since they were established.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Contact centre  Purpose  Monitoring/mechanisms  Number of staff 
			 Ashby-de-la-Zouch (Leicestershire) IPS—Call arrangements are for customer inquiries and appointment bookings—also e-mail inquiries such as progress chasers, customer complaints and requests for passport application packs. Services provided by Teleperformance. Performance is monitored against contractual KPI and SLA's. Meetings take place with the supplier monthly to ensure continuous service improvement. This is seasonal and varies on a month to month basis. In October 2007 full-time equivalent staff employed on the IPS account was 234. 
			 Bangor (Northern Ireland) IPS—As above. As above. Varies on a month to month basis. Total number of staff is included in the figure above. 
			 Bristol IPS—As above. As above. Varies on a month to month basis. Total number of staff is included in the figure above. 
			 Immigration Inquiry Bureau (IEB) BIA—Deals with inquiries from the public relating to general immigration issues, requests for progress on individual cases and requests for immigration application forms. Performance is measured on calls answered against demand on a daily basis and reports its management information weekly to senior managers. This in turn is included in regular information on performance given to managers. IEB employs a total of 180 staff, including part-time members. 
			 Sheffield Contact Centre BIA—Deals with inquiries on all work permit schemes and programmes and provides advice to employers on recruiting non UK nationals. 1 per cent. of all calls are monitored for quality purposes. 55 staff 
			 Liverpool Contact Centre BIA—Deals with general inquiries about citizenship and right of abode, requests for progress on individual cases and requests for application forms. All call centres are measured on the number of calls answered against demand on a daily, weekly, monthly basis and on the quality of service provided. 1 per cent. of all calls are monitored for quality purposes. 60 staff 
			 Evidence and Inquiry Unit BIA—Deals with a range of inquiries from other Crown agencies. There is a facility to record all calls and also reports weekly and monthly on a number of quality fronts including one to one sessions with staff and dealing with complaints if received. As of 20 November there were a total of 55 staff. 
			 MPs Hotline BIA—Deals with MP's, House of Lords, European Parliament and members of the Scottish Parliament and devolved assemblies. Deals with a range of inquiries. Performance is measured on calls answered against demand on a daily basis and reports its management info weekly to senior managers. MP's and their constituency offices provide regular feedback on the service provided by the Hotline. As of 19 November the MP's Hotline employs 15 staff. 
			 CRB Contact Centre Deals with the receipt of telephone calls from applicants, organisations, registered bodies (through whom applicants submit their applications) and other third parties. Service provided by Capita Business Services. This is monitored through contractual service levels. These service levels are reported against on a monthly and quarterly basis. Year 2003: 81 
			Year 2004: 87 
			Year 2005: 92 
			Year 2006: 99 
			Year 2007: 79 
			 Adelphi Service Centre Deals with invoice payments, expense payments, Adelphi password resets and general assistance. This is monitored through contractual service levels key performance indicators. These service levels are reported against on a monthly basis. 16 staff 
			 Home Office public switchboard The Home Office public switchboard deals with non-specific callers (i.e. those who do not have a name/extension number). They either deal with the query or request for a publication direct; put the caller through to whichever part of the office can deal with their query; or, if they have called the HO in error, advise them which Department/agency they should contact. Performance data are maintained on an ongoing basis. Calls are monitored using a computer system which is linked to a wall board showing real time performance throughout the day (number of calls received, number of calls answered, calls in queue, agents logged on, agents on call and agents ready to take calls). The information stored on this system indicates performance in terms of how many calls are answered and how quickly they are answered over a specific time period. 3 to 4 full-time staff. This can be extended to additional staff at times of peak load.

Entry Clearances

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals resident in the United Kingdom the Government expect to be required to hold a biometric immigration document by  (a) January 2009,  (b) January 2010 and  (c) January 2011.

Liam Byrne: The UK Borders Act confirms the introduction of ID cards for foreign nationals from 2008. The programme will first pressure test the technology, before cards are issued later this year.
	We will publish our roll out strategy shortly and this will be based on improved efficiency and will tackle high risk groups first. We will publish details of these groups in the roll out strategy.

Entry Clearances: Skilled Workers

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many highly skilled migrant visas have been issued since April 2006, broken down by  (a) country of origin and  (b) skill.

Liam Byrne: The following table sets out the number of highly skilled migrant programme applications, by country of origin. We are unable to answer part  (b) of the question, as this information is not asked on the application form.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  HSMP applications granted between 1 April 2006 and 31 December 2007 
			  Country of origin  Total 
			 Afghanistan 5 
			 Albania 10 
			 Algeria 15 
			 American Samoa (1)— 
			 Antigua and Barbuda (1)— 
			 Argentina 25 
			 Armenia 25 
			 Australia 5,050 
			 Azerbaijan 65 
			 Bahamas 5 
			 Bahrain 5 
			 Bangladesh 520 
			 Barbados 40 
			 Belarus 30 
			 Belize (1)— 
			 Benin (1)— 
			 Bolivia 5 
			 Bosnia-Herzegovina 5 
			 Botswana 10 
			 Brazil 155 
			 Brit Nat Overseas 35 
			 Brunei 5 
			 Bulgaria 40 
			 Burkina Faso (1)— 
			 Cameroon 55 
			 Canada 530 
			 Chile 10 
			 China 1,250 
			 Colombia 95 
			 Congo (1)— 
			 Congo (Democratic Rep of ) (1)— 
			 Croatia 30 
			 Dominica 5 
			 Dominican Republic 5 
			 Ecuador 5 
			 Egypt 300 
			 El Salvador 5 
			 Eritrea 5 
			 Ethiopia 30 
			 Fiji 5 
			 Gabon (1)— 
			 Gambia 15 
			 Georgia 15 
			 Ghana 225 
			 Grenada 5 
			 Guatemala (1)— 
			 Guyana 10 
			 Haiti (1)— 
			 Honduras (1)— 
			 Hong Kong (British) 15 
			 Hong Kong (Chinese) 10 
			 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (1)— 
			 India 18,285 
			 Indonesia 45 
			 Iran 220 
			 Iraq 55 
			 Israel 130 
			 Jamaica 655 
			 Japan 90 
			 Jordan 105 
			 Kazakhstan 30 
			 Kenya 235 
			 Korea North (Democratic Peoples Rep of) 5 
			 Korea South (Rep of Korea) 85 
			 Kuwait 5 
			 Kyrgyzstan 15 
			 Lebanon 55 
			 Libya 85 
			 Macedonia 5 
			 Malawi 20 
			 Malaysia 785 
			 Maldives 5 
			 Mali t 
			 Mauritania 20 
			 Mauritius 115 
			 Mexico 65 
			 Moldova (Rep of) 25 
			 Mongolia 5 
			 Montenegro (1)— 
			 Morocco 10 
			 Mozambique 5 
			 Myanmar 135 
			 Namibia 10 
			 Nepal 310 
			 New Caledonia (1)— 
			 New Zealand 2,530 
			 Nicaragua (1)— 
			 Niger 5 
			 Nigeria 3,555 
			 Northern Cyprus (1)— 
			 Oman 5 
			 Pakistan 4,220 
			 Palestine 30 
			 Papua New Guinea (1)— 
			 Peru 25 
			 Philippines 60 
			 Romania 40 
			 Russian Federation 610 
			 Rwanda (1)— 
			 Saudi Arabia 15 
			 Senegal 5 
			 Serbia 30 
			 Seychelles (1)— 
			 Sierra Leone 20 
			 Singapore 190 
			 Slovakia (1)— 
			 South Africa 2,175 
			 Sri Lanka 1,070 
			 St. Lucia 5 
			 St. Vincent and The Grenadines 5 
			 Sudan 70 
			 Swaziland 5 
			 Syria (Arab Rep) 105 
			 Taiwan Province of China 65 
			 Tajikistan (1)— 
			 Tanzania (United Rep of) 25 
			 Thailand 25 
			 Tonga (1)— 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 175 
			 Tunisia 10 
			 Turkey 255 
			 Turkmenistan 5 
			 Uganda 85 
			 Ukraine 220 
			 United States of America 1,495 
			 Unknown 55 
			 Uruguay 5 
			 Uzbekistan 30 
			 Venezuela 30 
			 Vietnam 10 
			 Yemen 5 
			 Yugoslavia 10 
			 Zambia 50 
			 Zimbabwe 240 
			 Total 47,290 
			 (1) indicates 1 or 2  Notes:  Figures are rounded to nearest 5. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Immigration: Work Permits

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for work permits were  (a) initially refused and  (b) subsequently granted on appeal as a percentage of total appeals in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Work permit individual and group applications refused  and  successful on review between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2007 
			   Refused  Total appeals on review  Successful on review  Successful (Percentage) 
			 2003 19,750 8,650 2,955 34 
			 2004 28,755 5,360 565 11 
			 2005 20,855 6,615 820 12 
			 2006 17,595 5,590 760 14 
			 2007 22,970 7,920 665 8 
			 Total 109,925 34,135 5,765 17 
			  Notes 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown. 
		
	
	The figures quoted are 'not' provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Offenders: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) existing and  (b) planned measures will be used to implement the Prime Minister's undertaking to deport newcomers to the UK who are caught (i) selling drugs or (ii) using guns; whether this policy will apply to all foreign nationals convicted of drugs and firearms offences; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Government are committed to pursuing the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of using firearms and selling drugs.
	Deportation Orders in such cases are already made under powers in Section 3(5) of the Immigration Act 1971. The automatic deportation provisions of the UK Borders Act will bring greater certainty and clarify to the deportation process. Foreign nationals imprisoned for serious crimes will know, from the point of sentence, that they will be deported save where one of a narrow list of exceptions applies.

Energy: Rural Areas

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with Ministers at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the energy needs of rural households;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to assist rural communities without access to the mains gas network;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to assist rural households living in fuel poverty that are not connected to the mains gas network;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to assist households not connected to the mains gas network which have high energy bills.

Malcolm Wicks: BERR's Design and Demonstration Unit has developed a model under which deprived communities without access to mains gas and that meet certain criteria can be connected to the network, using existing funding. A number of communities have been connected using the model. In partnership with the regional development agencies in north-east England and Yorkshire and Humberside, we are co-funding demonstration projects delivered by Community Energy Solutions, a community interest company that will provide cost-effective energy to 40 communities. These projects will use mains gas and renewable technologies as appropriate, will benefit both urban and rural communities and are designed to be replicable elsewhere. Under the new gas distribution price control, Ofgem, with our support, has incentivised the gas distribution network companies to provide mains gas connections to deprived communities. We expect this to result in many thousands of customers gaining access to mains gas during 2008 to 2013.
	Ministers from Defra and BERR have regular discussions on a range of energy issues, including the needs of rural households.

Overseas Loans: Developing Countries

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department's record management practice is on keeping information relating to and contracts for loans made to developing countries, with particular reference to the  (a) length of time for which information is retained and  (b) the information which is retained.

Malcolm Wicks: ECGD's current policy is to retain all documentary information in its possession in relation to transactions which it has supported, for a period of up to seven years after the final repayment date of the loan or contract has been received. Where there has been a payment default and ECGD has paid a claim, the information would be held for up to seven years after the date on which ECGD either makes its final recovery in respect of the claim which it has paid or decides to abandon recovery action.

Post Offices: Closures

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1067-68, on post office closures, 
	(1)  if he will give details of the background costs taken into account when deciding whether a post office is profitable;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the savings to Post Office Ltd. arising from the closure of 2,500 post offices in the first three years after the closures have taken place.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Closures

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate his Department has made of the effect on Royal Mail's revenue of the Post Office's planned programme of branch closures.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 25 January 2008
	This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Urban Areas

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what minimum number of urban Post Office branches would be required to ensure 95 per cent. of the total urban population lived within one mile of a Post Office branch.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 25 January 2008
	This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Radioactive Wastes: Waste Disposal

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library the results of the work of Dr. Tim Stone on nuclear new build decommissioning and long-term waste management cost allocation.

Malcolm Wicks: Dr. Stone was appointed in January 2007 to act as advisor to the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Chief Secretary of the Treasury on financing the costs of decommissioning, waste management and disposal for new nuclear power stations.
	Dr. Stone's work has informed the clauses on nuclear waste management and decommissioning in the Energy Bill which was introduced into Parliament on 10 January 2008. Draft guidance, to underpin the Bill clauses, will be published for consultation in February/March of this year.

Homesale Network

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library the minutes of the Homesale Network meeting of 9 November.

Caroline Flint: The Home Sale Network conference of 9 November was not a Department of Communities and Local Government event.

Housing: Renewable Energy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the new Planning Policy Statement on climate change will  (a) allow local authorities to continue to implement the Merton Rule and  (b) require that a minimum proportion of all new developments' energy needs should come from on-site renewables.

Caroline Flint: The new planning policy statement (PPS) on climate change will boost the use of local renewable and low carbon energy in new development. The PPS sets out our 'Merton-Plus' approach. It expects all local planning authorities to have a council-wide target (like existing Merton rules) and, additionally, tailored targets for sites where there is greater potential for using decentralised energy to supply new development. These targets should be flexible enough to consider community schemes (for example, wind turbines or CHP schemes serving more than one site) as well as building specific technologies.
	Councils could still set an on-site target in their Development Plan Document (DPD) provided they can show this is the only local energy option and there are no other options than on-site. In practice, we think there are unlikely to be many situations like this. We wouldn't rule out on-site renewables targets in DPDs provided it is clear that the DPD policy/target will be applied flexibly and will allow carbon savings from local energy supplies to be considered and count towards it.

Institute for Public Policy Research: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 December 2007,  Official Report, column 142W, on the Institute for Public Policy Research: finance, what the name of the research commissioned by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion was; and how much public funding was allocated to the work.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Institute for Public Policy Research wrote a paper for the Commission on Integration and Cohesion entitled "Challenging attitudes, perceptions and myths". This paper informed the Commission's final report and was published on their website:
	www.integrationandcohesion.org.uk
	Its cost was £7,950.

IPSO Mori

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments her Department has made to IPSO Mori in the last 24 months; and for what purposes.

Caroline Flint: IPSOS Mori has undertaken a range of work for the Department over the last 24 months, for which total payments amount to some £1,958,779. The most significant items are:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Area trial research in relation to Home Information Packs 619,304 
			 Community policy (England) 471,005 
			 New ventures research 159,348 
			 Small area data 116,624 
			 2007 staff survey 86,186 
			 User empowerment in local authorities 71,750 
			 Post implementation of Home Information Packs—qualitative research 64,000 
			 Home information packs training centre research 49,096 
			 Housing mobility 40,422

Islam

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government further to the letter of 18 December 2007 to the hon. Member for Wycombe from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda), about the Radical Middle Way Roadshow, when officials from her Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will contact the hon. Member for Wycombe about the commitment given in that letter.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 24 January 2008
	 I understand that officials in my Department have been in contact with the hon. Member's office to organise a meeting to discuss the Radical Middle Way roadshows.

Local Strategic Partnerships: Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government where funding for local strategic partnerships comes from; and to whom members of local strategic partnerships are accountable.

John Healey: Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) are voluntary, non statutory partnerships which are comprised of local public, private and third sector organisations. They derive their funding from voluntary contributions made by the bodies that are represented on the partnership. This is a matter for local decision and as such will vary from area to area.
	Local Strategic Partnership members remain accountable to the organisation they represent, but we are clear that in order for LSPs to operate effectively, members should collectively agree clear and transparent lines of accountability within the partnership. The details remain a matter for local discretion and as such will vary from area to area. Further information can be found at 2.1 to 2.9 of the draft guidance which has been issued for consultation, "Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities", available on the CLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/statutoryguidance

Regional Development

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the  (a) role and  (b) effectiveness of (i) vision boards and (ii) local strategic partnerships.

John Healey: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not made any assessment of the role or effectiveness of vision boards.
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government assessed the role and effectiveness of Local Strategic Partnerships in the Local Government White Paper (October 2006). This drew on the evidence of a programme of evaluation of English LSPs between 2002 and 2006 and a full public consultation which ran from December 2005 to March 2006. The findings of this research and consultation are available on the Communities and Local Government website. Following this assessment, the Secretary of State has recently issued draft guidance for consultation which sets out the role that Government think, subject to the results of consultation, LSPs might be expected to perform and the key governance principles which we recommend they might adopt. This draft guidance is available on the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/statutoryguidance

Departmental Telephone Services

Rob Marris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by  (a) his Department and  (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.

Angela Eagle: The following table lists the number of 0845 telephone numbers in use, together with an estimate of the number of these which are used for public facing services as at 17 January 2008.
	It is not possible to provide information on "similar cost" numbers as call charges are based on the tariff arrangements that customers have with their service provider and the device they use for the call and the location from which they call and this data is not available.
	
		
			  Name  Number of 0845 numbers used  Number relating to public facing services 
			 Debt Management Office 126 18 
			 Government Actuary's Department 0 0 
			 HM Revenue and Customs 977 135 
			 HM Treasury 0 0 
			 National Savings and Investments 8 8 
			 Office of Government Commerce 1 1 
			 Office for National Statistics 22 22 
			 Royal Mint 85 85 
			 Valuation Office Agency 3 2 
			 Total 1,222 (1)271 
			 (1 )Estimated

Personal Savings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to encourage saving to reduce the credit deficit; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Since 1997, the Government have sought to support saving and asset ownership for all, from childhood, through working life and into retirement. The Government have introduced Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) to develop and extend the saving habit, which from April 2008 will be made simpler, more flexible and more generous. The Government have also introduced The Child Trust Fund, which will ensure that all children will hold a financial asset at the age of 18, and has piloted the Saving Gateway with feasibility work into the system requirements to enable wider introduction now being taken forward. Personal Accounts will enable individuals on low to medium incomes to save in a pension over their working lives.

Registration of Births Deaths Marriages and Civil Partnerships: Data Protection

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he held with the  (a) British Banking Association,  (b) Building Societies Association and  (c) Council of Mortgage Licences on safeguarding data provided under the Supply of Information (Register of Deaths) Regulations 2007 to prevent its use for fraudulent purposes.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, 28 January 2008:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking what discussions were held with the  (a) British Banking Association,  (b) Building Societies Association and  (c) Council of Mortgage Lenders on safeguarding data provided under the Supply of Information (Registration of Deaths) Regulations 2007 to prevent its use for fraudulent purposes. (180898)
	The British Banking Association, Building Societies Association and Council of Mortgage Lenders were invited to respond to the Disclosure of Death Registration Information consultation which was published in December 2006. The British Banking Association and the Building Societies Association responded to the consultation, their responses have been published on the GRO website. The consultation included information on the requirement for organisations to meet security standards as part of a compliance regime to be implemented with the scheme.

Registration of Births Deaths Marriages and Civil Partnerships: Data Protection

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with the devolved administrations on the Supply of Information (Register of Deaths) Regulations 2007.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 28 January 2008:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about any discussions held with the devolved administrations on the Supply of Information (Register of Death) Regulations 2007. (180901)
	The Registrars General for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have introduced the Disclosure of Death Registration Information Scheme jointly in order that customers can receive death information for all of the UK. The Registrars General for Northern Ireland and Scotland have discussed the scheme accordingly with Ministers in the devolved administrations throughout its development.

Welfare Tax Credits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of tax credit claimants have been overpaid more than once since their claim began;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of tax credit claimants have been underpaid more than once since their claim began.

Jane Kennedy: Tax credits are designed to be responsive to changes in a family's circumstances There will be an under or overpayment at the end of the year if changes are not reported or processed promptly. The Government announced a package of measures at the Pre Budget Report 2005 to ensure the system strikes the right balance between providing a stable award and maintaining the ability to respond to changes Once fully implemented this package is expected to reduce the level of overpayments by around a third.
	The number and proportion of tax credit awards with more than one overpayment or underpayment, between 2003-04 and 2005-06, is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Years in which overpayment or underpayment occurred  Number of awards with more than one overpayment  Number of awards with more than one underpayment 
			 2003-04 and 2004-05 528 100 
			 2004-05 and 2005-06 404 134 
			 2003-04 and 2005-06 227 78 
			 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 260 28 
			 Total 1,419 340 
			 Proportion of all tax credit awards in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 (percentage) 18 4

Cabinet Committees

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which Cabinet committees and sub-committees he chairs.

Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw), Chairs the Ministerial Committee on Constitution, the Ministerial Committee on Domestic Affairs, and its Sub Committee on Justice and Crime.
	The full list of Cabinet Committees, their full membership and terms of reference is available in the Libraries of both Houses. The details are also available on the Cabinet Office website. The Prime Minister notified the House of an updated Cabinet Committee list via a written statement on 17 January 2008,  Official Report, column 40WS.

Driving Offences: Prosecutions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many drivers were prosecuted for  (a) speeding and  (b) speed-related offences in each region of England in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against for speeding related offences in England, by region, from 2002 to 2006 are in Table 1. Data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	Data showing the number of fixed penalty notices issued for speed limit offences between 2001 and 2005 are in table 2. Data for 2006 will be available later this year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for speeding related offences( 1)  in England, broken down by region, 2002-06( 2, 3) 
			  Region  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 5,648 4,925 6,648 4,650 4,782 
			 North West 17,459 19,453 17,588 18,214 19,835 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 7,038 7,737 13,465 15,389 15,523 
			 East Midlands 11,598 17,763 18,309 17,609 15,551 
			 West Midlands 11,766 12,029 17,416 14,045 11,952 
			 East of England 23,798 20,871 21,692 27,248 25,927 
			 London 8,498 8,677 8,888 10,959 6,626 
			 South East 23,050 23,755 23,059 24,539 23,589 
			 South West 14,066 19,734 19,672 21,967 23,719 
			 England 122,921 134,944 146,737 154,620 147,504 
			 (1) The data comprise speeding offences not detected by speed camera devices and speeding offences detected by camera devices; under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.  (2) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Fixed penalty notices issued( 1)  for speed limit offences( 2 ) by Government office region, England, 2001-05 
			  Number of offences 
			  Region and police force area  2001  2002( 3)  2003( 3)  2004  2005 
			 North East 79,042 74,011 100,285 118,442 83,436 
			 North West 102,884 219,883 204,702 186,659 193,954 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 67,167 67,033 153,020 169,721 184,800 
			 East Midlands 168,369 213,588 221,082 202,323 172,361 
			 West Midlands 69,818 90,953 197,252 191,351 186,943 
			 East 148,286 206,632 238,442 274,838 290,362 
			 London 59,125 58,116 85,077 111,278 136,701 
			 South East 235,500 219,791 290,925 265,901 285,203 
			 South West 105,371 135,549 272,383 304,379 264,190 
			 (1) Covers notices paid only where there is no further action.  (2) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.  (3) Revised since original publication following amendments received from forces.   Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Human Trafficking: Telephone Services

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the provision of a common helpline number for victims of human trafficking across Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: We recognise the need for transnational work to combat human trafficking and welcome the continued efforts of the European Union in this area. However we foresee some difficulties with a proposed EU hotline, including issues relating to the management and dissemination of information received and language difficulties. The value of an EU hotline over and above national arrangements and existing structures would have to be demonstrated.

National Offender Management Service: Finance

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether estates development, including in relation to prison capacity, is classified as capital expenditure in the National Offender Management Service budget.

David Hanson: In line with government accounting rules all expenditure on estates development (including prison capacity) which results in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) obtaining an asset with an economic life/benefit of more than one year is classified as capital expenditure in the NOMS budget.

Offenders: Accommodation

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1654W, on Offenders: Accommodation, how many of those receiving bail in respect of alleged violence against the person breached their bail conditions as a result of  (a) alleged re-offending,  (b) failure to attend court and  (c) another cause.

Jack Straw: In 2006, an estimated 5,500 defendants proceeded against for offences in the violence against the person group failed to appear to bail. This information is taken from table 4.9 of the publication 'Criminal Statistics 2006, England and Wales'. Data on re-offending while on bail and on breaches of bail conditions are not collected centrally.

Offenders: Foreigners

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those bailed for indictable offences were foreign nationals in the last year for which data is available.

David Hanson: Court proceedings data held by my Department, which includes information on bail, does not identify the nationality of the defendants proceeded against.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many foreign national prisoners were held in English and Welsh prisons on 31 December 2007, broken down by nationality;
	(2)  how many foreign prisoners of no known country of origin there were in England and Wales on 31 December 2007.

David Hanson: At the end of September 2007, the most recent date for which information is currently available, there were, overall, a total of 11,211 foreign national prisoners in all prison establishments in England and Wales. There were an additional 919 prisoners where the nationality was not currently recorded on central IT systems of which 650, were untried prisoners held on remand and their nationality is not yet recorded on central data systems. The total includes prisoners held on remand or serving custodial sentences, as well as those held under the Immigration Act 1971 (including those in the immigration removal centres of Dover, Haslar and Lindholme).The full breakdown of these figures can be found in the following table below.
	These figures are updated quarterly at the website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	NOMS continues to work with the Border and Immigration Agency to speed up the system for removing those foreign national prisoners who meet the deportation criteria. Where the information is not already available, this will include establishing the nationality of individuals, and the relevant country of origin (or transit) to deport them to if appropriate.
	
		
			  Population in prison by nationality and sex, England and Wales, 30 September 2007 
			  Nationality  Total 
			 All nationalities 80,855 
			 UK nationals 68,725 
			 Foreign nationals 11,211 
			 Not recorded 919 
			   
			  Total Africa 3,313 
			 Angola 86 
			 Burundi 10 
			 Benin 3 
			 Botswana 2 
			 Ivory Coast 27 
			 Central African Republic 9 
			 Congo 119 
			 Cameroon, United Republic 38 
			 Cape Verde 1 
			 Algeria 192 
			 Egypt 16 
			 Ethiopia 40 
			 Ghana 240 
			 Gambia 44 
			 Guinea 14 
			 Equatorial Guinea 1 
			 Guinea/Bissau 1 
			 Kenya 78 
			 Liberia 28 
			 Lesotho 1 
			 Libya 18 
			 Morocco 44 
			 Mali 2 
			 Mauritania 3 
			 Mauritius 17 
			 Malawi 12 
			 Mozambique 6 
			 Namibia 5 
			 Niger 6 
			 Nigeria 1,098 
			 St. Pierre and Miquelon 1 
			 Rwanda 19 
			 Sudan 46 
			 Sierra Leone 84 
			 Senegal 5 
			 Somalia 379 
			 Swaziland 1 
			 Chad 1 
			 Togo 10 
			 Tunisia 21 
			 Tanzania 17 
			 Uganda 77 
			 Western Sahara 1 
			 South Africa 225 
			 Zambia 18 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic 35 
			 Zimbabwe 211 
			   
			  Total Asia 2,017 
			 Afghanistan 96 
			 Bangladesh 164 
			 Burma 5 
			 China 349 
			 Hong Kong 6 
			 Indonesia 3 
			 India 320 
			 British India Ocean Territories 1 
			 Japan 2 
			 Cambodia 1 
			 Korea, Republic of (South) 6 
			 Sri Lanka 150 
			 Mongolia 8 
			 Malaysia 26 
			 Philippines 20 
			 Pakistan 412 
			 Singapore 6 
			 Thailand 7 
			 Vietnam 434 
			   
			  Total central and south America 333 
			 Argentina 5 
			 Bolivia 7 
			 Brazil 74 
			 Belize 1 
			 Chile 10 
			 Columbia 114 
			 Costa Rica 3 
			 Ecuador 10 
			 French Guyana 2 
			 Guatemala 3 
			 Guyana 38 
			 Honduras 1 
			 Mexico 22 
			 Panama 3 
			 Peru 6 
			 Paraguay 1 
			 Surinam 10 
			 El Salvador 2 
			 Uruguay 1 
			 Venezuela 20 
			   
			  Total Europe 3,162 
			 Albania 174 
			 Armenia 5 
			 Austria 14 
			 Azerbaijan 4 
			 Bosnia-Herzegovina 7 
			 Belgium 40 
			 Bulgaria 33 
			 Croatia 11 
			 Switzerland 7 
			 Czech Republic 54 
			 Cyprus 52 
			 Germany 131 
			 Denmark 9 
			 Estonia 22 
			 Spain 72 
			 Finland 3 
			 France 152 
			 Georgia 16 
			 Gibraltar 2 
			 Greece 20 
			 Hungary 22 
			 Irish Republic 651 
			 Iceland 1 
			 Italy 95 
			 Kazakhstan 4 
			 Kyrgyzstan 3 
			 Lithuania 203 
			 Latvia 59 
			 Moldova 28 
			 Macedonia 8 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 92 
			 Malta 6 
			 Netherlands 118 
			 Norway 5 
			 Poland 362 
			 Portugal 192 
			 Romania 140 
			 Sweden 15 
			 Slovakia 20 
			 San Marino 1 
			 Slovenia 5 
			 Russia 94 
			 Turkey 203 
			 Turkmenistan 2 
			 Uzbekistan 3 
			   
			  Total middle east 568 
			 United Arab Emirates 8 
			 Iran 207 
			 Israel 23 
			 Iraq 254 
			 Jordan 7 
			 Kuwait 11 
			 Lebanon 24 
			 Oman 1 
			 Qatar 1 
			 Saudi Arabia 12 
			 Syrian Arab Republic 7 
			 Yemen, Republic of 10 
			   
			  Total north America 131 
			 Canada 25 
			 United States of America 106 
			   
			  Total Oceania 51 
			 Australia 26 
			 Fiji 11 
			 French Southern Territories 1 
			 Kiribati 1 
			 New Zealand 10 
			 Papua New Guinea 2 
			   
			  Total other 13 
			   
			  West Indies 1,622 
			 Anguilla 1 
			 Netherlands Antilles 11 
			 Barbados 35 
			 Bermuda 4 
			 Bahamas 5 
			 Cuba 4 
			 Dominica 13 
			 Dominican Republic 11 
			 Grenada 18 
			 Haiti 1 
			 Jamaica 1,357 
			 St. Lucia 36 
			 Montserrat 16 
			 Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis 3 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 92 
			 St. Vincent and The Grenadines 14 
			  Note: Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but he detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level.  Source: This table has been taken from table 5 of the monthly published statistics to be found at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custodySep07.pdf. Table 5 is updated quarterly.

Prisoners: Foreigners

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals there were in UK prisons in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin.

David Hanson: At the end of September 2007, the latest date on which published data is available, there were 11,211 foreign national prisoners held in all prison establishments in England and Wales.
	Information on the country of origin of individual prisoners, is not available, and may not be the same as their nationality. The following table gives a breakdown by nationality of all foreign national prisoners in prison establishments in England and Wales. It is available quarterly as Table 5 within the population in custody monthly published tables at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	The latest edition containing Table 5 is given at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custodySep07.pdf
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/pop-in-custody-sep07.xls
	Comparable information for Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
	For the proportion of total prisoners who are foreign nationals, Council of Europe data on foreign national prisoners held in other major western countries reveal much higher proportions, for example in Austria (43 per cent.), Spain (33 per cent.), Germany (28 per cent.) and France (21 per cent.) than the figure for England and Wales (14 per cent.), based on 2006 population data.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Population in prison by nationality and sex—England and Wales 30 September 2007 
			  Nationality  Male  Female  Total 
			 All nationalities 76,439 4,416 80,855 
			 UK nationals 65,387 3,338 68,725 
			 Foreign nationals 10,223 988 11,211 
			 Not recorded 829 90 919 
			 
			  Total Africa 2,874 439 3,313 
			 Angola 80 6 86 
			 Burundi 10 0 10 
			 Benin 3 0 3 
			 Botswana 2 0 2 
			 Ivory Coast 26 1 27 
			 Central African Republic 9 0 9 
			 Congo 112 7 119 
			 Cameroon, United Republic 36 2 38 
			 Cape Verde 1 0 1 
			 Algeria 190 2 192 
			 Egypt 16 0 16 
			 Ethiopia 39 1 40 
			 Ghana 206 34 240 
			 Gambia 40 4 44 
			 Guinea 13 1 14 
			 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 1 
			 Guinea/Bissau 1 0 1 
			 Kenya 66 12 78 
			 Liberia 20 8 28 
			 Lesotho 0 1 1 
			 Libya 18 0 18 
			 Morocco 43 1 44 
			 Mali 2 0 2 
			 Mauritania 2 1 3 
			 Mauritius 16 1 17 
			 Malawi 11 1 12 
			 Mozambique 6 0 6 
			 Namibia 4 1 5 
			 Niger 6 0 6 
			 Nigeria 873 226 1,098 
			 St. Pierre And Miquelon 1 0 1 
			 Rwanda 19 0 19 
			 Sudan 44 2 46 
			 Sierra Leone 75 9 84 
			 Senegal 4 1 5 
			 Somalia 369 10 379 
			 Swaziland 1 0 1 
			 Chad 1 0 1 
			 Togo 8 2 10 
			 Tunisia 21 0 21 
			 Tanzania 16 1 17 
			 Uganda 72 5 77 
			 Western Sahara 1 0 1 
			 South Africa 166 59 225 
			 Zambia 15 3 18 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic 35 0 35 
			 Zimbabwe 172 38 211 
			 
			  Total Asia 1,903 114 2,017 
			 Afghanistan 96 0 96 
			 Bangladesh 160 4 164 
			 Burma 5 0 5 
			 China 313 36 349 
			 Hong Kong 5 1 6 
			 Indonesia 3 0 3 
			 India 306 14 320 
			 British India Ocean Territories 1 0 1 
			 Japan 1 1 2 
			 Cambodia 1 0 1 
			 Korea, Republic of (South) 6 0 6 
			 Sri Lanka 148 2 150 
			 Mongolia 7 1 8 
			 Malaysia 21 5 26 
			 Philippines 16 4 20 
			 Pakistan 402 10 412 
			 Singapore 3 3 6 
			 Thailand 4 3 7 
			 Vietnam 404 31 434 
			 
			  Total Central and South America 292 41 333 
			 Argentina 3 2 5 
			 Bolivia 6 1 7 
			 Brazil 65 9 74 
			 Belize 1 0 1 
			 Chile 9 1 10 
			 Columbia 108 6 114 
			 Costa Rica 3 0 3 
			 Ecuador 9 1 10 
			 French Guyana 2 0 2 
			 Guatemala 3 0 3 
			 Guyana 30 7 38 
			 Honduras 1 0 1 
			 Mexico 17 5 22 
			 Panama 2 1 3 
			 Peru 6 0 6 
			 Paraguay 0 1 1 
			 Surinam 9 1 10 
			 El Salvador 0 2 2 
			 Uruguay 1 0 1 
			 Venezuela 16 4 20 
			 
			  Total Europe 2,943 218 3,162 
			 Albania 173 1 174 
			 Armenia 5 0 5 
			 Austria 12 2 14 
			 Azerbaijan 4 0 4 
			 Bosnia-Herzegovina 7 0 7 
			 Belgium 37 3 40 
			 Bulgaria 18 15 33 
			 Croatia 10 1 11 
			 Switzerland 6 1 7 
			 Czech Republic 49 5 54 
			 Cyprus 50 2 52 
			 Germany 119 12 131 
			 Denmark 9 0 9 
			 Estonia 19 3 22 
			 Spain 61 12 72 
			 Finland 2 1 3 
			 France 137 15 152 
			 Georgia 16 0 16 
			 Gibraltar 2 0 2 
			 Greece 15 5 20 
			 Hungary 19 3 22 
			 Irish Republic 618 34 651 
			 Iceland 1 0 1 
			 Italy 87 8 95 
			 Kazakhstan 4 0 4 
			 Kyrgyzstan 3 0 3 
			 Lithuania 197 6 203 
			 Latvia 57 2 59 
			 Moldova 26 2 28 
			 Macedonia 8 0 8 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 90 2 92 
			 Malta 6 0 6 
			 Netherlands 99 19 118 
			 Norway 5 0 5 
			 Poland 342 20 362 
			 Portugal 183 9 192 
			 Romania 123 17 140 
			 Sweden 11 4 15 
			 Slovakia 18 2 20 
			 San Marino 1 0 1 
			 Slovenia 4 1 5 
			 Russia 82 12 94 
			 Turkey 202 1 203 
			 Turkmenistan 2 0 2 
			 Uzbekistan 3 0 3 
			 
			  Total Middle East 558 10 568 
			 United Arab Emirates 8 0 8 
			 Iran 200 7 207 
			 Israel 23 0 23 
			 Iraq 253 2 254 
			 Jordan 7 0 7 
			 Kuwait 11 0 11 
			 Lebanon 23 1 24 
			 Oman 1 0 1 
			 Qatar 1 0 1 
			 Saudi Arabia 12 0 12 
			 Syrian Arab Republic 7 0 7 
			 Yemen, Republic of 10 0 10 
			 
			  Total North America 119 12 131 
			 Canada 19 6 25 
			 United States of America 100 6 106 
			 
			  Total Oceania 49 2 51 
			 Australia 24 2 26 
			 Fiji 11 0 11 
			 French Southern Territories 1 0 1 
			 Kiribati 1 0 1 
			 New Zealand 10 0 10 
			 Papua New Guinea 2 0 2 
			 
			  Total other 13 0 13 
			 
			  West Indies 1,471 151 1,622 
			 Anguilla 1 0 1 
			 Netherlands Antilles 7 4 11 
			 Barbados 32 3 35 
			 Bermuda 4 0 4 
			 Bahamas 5 0 5 
			 Cuba 3 1 4 
			 Dominica 12 1 13 
			 Dominican Republic 8 3 11 
			 Grenada 15 3 18 
			 Haiti 1 0 1 
			 Jamaica 1,225 102 1,357 
			 St. Lucia 29 7 36 
			 Montserrat 15 1 16 
			 Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis 2 1 3 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 69 23 92 
			 St. Vincent and The Grenadines 11 3 14 
			  Notes : These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so, although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level.

Secure Training Centres: Restraint Techniques

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of restrictive physical intervention were recorded in each establishment of the secure estate for children and young people in the last year for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The following table sets out the number of recorded restrictive physical interventions in each establishment of the secure estate for children and young people from 1 April to 30 November 2007. The data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board. The use of restraint is currently subject to an independent review which is due to report to Ministers by 4 April.
	The Youth Justice Board has been collecting data against common definitions from April 2007. Comparable data is not available for earlier periods.
	
		
			   April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November 
			 Hassockfield 49 56 38 49 96 49 42 44 
			 Rainsbrook 20 26 21 42 50 29 52 45 
			 Oakhill 33 108 151 149 86 71 67 55 
			 Medway 68 80 66 146 81 53 81 67 
			 Ashfield 40 30 29 27 27 53 37 59 
			 Parc 8 6 5 8 6 3 5 5 
			 Brinsford 10 4 11 4 4 27 7 12 
			 Castington 18 8 13 22 20 12 18 18 
			 Feltham 24 24 24 45 24 17 37 18 
			 Hindley 21 22 26 54 30 30 27 31 
			 Huntercombe 29 26 33 30 43 21 43 47 
			 Lancaster Farms 23 42 31 49 52 15 20 22 
			 Stoke Heath 9 10 13 14 20 13 11 12 
			 Thorn Cross 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warren Hill 11 29 28 22 17 14 10 15 
			 Werrington 29 18 27 20 30 14 17 22 
			 Wetherby 31 23 21 44 22 44 33 34 
			 Cookham Wood 3 11 0 2 0 0 1 0 
			 Downview 9 0 0 0 4 2 2 2 
			 Eastwood Park 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 0 
			 Foston Hall 5 13 10 0 4 6 12 0 
			 New Hall 3 3 5 4 3 3 9 23 
			 Aldine House 4 4 0 0 5 1 2 2 
			 Atkinson Unit 2 6 8 15 18 12 5 10 
			 Aycliffe 24 14 24 23 20 27 18 7 
			 Barton Moss 7 12 6 11 15 9 9 8 
			 Clayfields 11 8 0 0 0 23 18 5 
			 East Moor 50 70 57 32 28 14 26 59 
			 Gladstone House 3 12 15 4 5 14 23 7 
			 Hillside Secure Centre 3 2 6 5 4 5 0 2 
			 Kyloe House 4 3 1 6 0 1 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire SCH 20 51 22 8 13 7 7 12 
			 Orchard Lodge 4 6 10 27 30 31 25 10 
			 Red Bank 30 14 25 24 26 39 25 6 
			 Sutton Place 8 0 0 5 17 11 7 4 
			 Swanwick Lodge 7 5 7 7 9 1 1 0 
			 Vinney Green 8 6 7 6 13 4 8 6

Young Offender Institutions

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the monthly maximum capacity of custody places was for under 18s in each of the last five reported years, broken down by  (a) type of facility and  (b) gender of offender catered for; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The following table, which contains information provided by the Youth Justice Board, shows the maximum capacity of the secure estate for children and young people from April 2002 to December 2007 (the latest month for which figures are available). They are broken down by facility type and, in the case of young offender institutions, by sex. Secure training centres and some secure children's homes are mixed establishments.
	
		
			  YOI 
			   Total  p laces  SCH  STC  Total  Boys  Girls 
			  2002-03   
			 April 3,436 254 130 3,052 2,964 88 
			 May 3,436 254 130 3,052 2,964 88 
			 June 3,468 254 162 3,052 2,964 88 
			 July 3,468 254 162 3,052 2,964 88 
			 August 3,468 254 162 3,052 2,964 88 
			 September 3,468 254 162 3,052 2,964 88 
			 October 3,468 254 162 3,052 2,964 88 
			 November 3,468 254 162 3,052 2,964 88 
			 December 3,500 254 194 3,052 2,964 88 
			 January 3,500 254 194 3,052 2,964 88 
			 February 3,500 254 194 3,052 2,964 88 
			 March 3,500 254 194 3,052 2,964 88 
			  2003- 04   
			 April 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 May 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 June 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 July 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 August 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 September 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 October 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 November 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 December 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 January 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 February 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			 March 3,442 297 194 2,951 2,863 88 
			
			  2004-05   
			 April 3,229 235 194 2,800 2,712 88 
			 May 3,229 235 194 2,800 2,712 88 
			 June 3,229 235 194 2,800 2,712 88 
			 July 3,229 235 194 2,800 2,712 88 
			 August 3,309 235 274 2,800 2,712 88 
			 September 3,309 235 274 2,800 2,712 88 
			 October 3,309 235 274 2,800 2,712 88 
			 November 3,317 235 274 2,808 2,720 88 
			 December 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 January 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 February 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 March 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			
			  2005-06   
			 April 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 May 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 June 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 July 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 August 3,333 235 274 2,824 2,720 104 
			 September 3,350 235 274 2,841 2,720 121 
			 October 3,350 235 274 2,841 2,720 121 
			 November 3,356 235 274 2,847 2,720 127 
			 December 3,356 235 274 2,847 2,720 127 
			 January 3,334 235 274 2,825 2,720 105 
			 February 3,334 235 274 2,825 2,720 105 
			 March 3,334 235 274 2,825 2,720 105 
			
			  2006-07   
			 April 3,466 235 274 2,957 2,882 75 
			 May 3,476 235 274 2,967 2,892 75 
			 June 3,476 235 274 2,967 2,892 75 
			 July 3,476 235 274 2,967 2,892 75 
			 August 3,487 235 285 2,967 2,892 75 
			 September 3,487 235 285 2,967 2,892 75 
			 October 3,487 235 285 2,967 2,892 75 
			 November 3,503 235 301 2,967 2,892 75 
			 December 3,519 235 301 2,983 2,892 91 
			 January 3,519 235 301 2,983 2,892 91 
			 February 3,519 235 301 2,983 2,892 91 
			 March 3,491 235 301 2,955 2,864 91 
			
			  2007-08 (to date)   
			 April 3,515 235 301 2,979 2,888 91 
			 May 3,515 235 301 2,979 2,888 91 
			 June 3,515 235 301 2,979 2,888 91 
			 July 3,515 235 301 2,979 2,888 91 
			 August 3,515 235 301 2,979 2,888 91 
			 September 3,545 235 301 3,009 2,918 91 
			 October 3,545 235 301 3,009 2,918 91 
			 November 3,555 235 301 3,019 2,945 74 
			 December 3,545 235 301 3,009 2,935 74

Young Offender Institutions: Standards

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many institutions have been assessed to  (a) be in full compliance,  (b) be in partial compliance and  (c) have failed to comply with the Youth Justice Board's Code of Practice for Managing the Behaviour of Children and Young People in the Secure Estate; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: An exercise is currently under way to measure the extent to which establishments in the secure estate for children and young people are meeting the Youth Justice Board's code of practice. The results are expected to be known in April.

Young Offenders: Sentencing

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider introducing a court diversion scheme for offenders aged 16 to 25 involving attendance on a course of military training as an alternative to court sentencing.

David Hanson: The Government share the concerns about offending by young people and recognises that the military may have resources that could benefit young offenders. We are consulting with a range of organisations which have an interest in youth justice and the provision of youth justice services as part of the Youth Crime Action Plan which will be published in the summer, and will consider the feasibility of sending young offenders on training programmes by the armed services in light of the response to that consultation.
	However, we do not think that a course of military training is the answer. Research from the United States indicates that simply adopting a military-style regime does not, of itself, reduce reoffending. The more successful programmes were those which supported their physically challenging and highly disciplined regimes with well developed education and training addressing offending behaviour.
	We are planning to test out the referral of young adult offenders (18 to 25 years) to existing senior attendance centres through the conditional cautioning scheme, which diverts offenders who admit their offence from court in appropriate circumstances. The centres aim to assist these offenders to acquire and develop personal responsibility, self-discipline and new practical skills and interests within a structured and disciplined environment.
	At present, the conditional cautioning scheme applies only to those aged 18 and above, but we are extending the scheme to young offenders aged 16 and 17 years old through provisions in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill currently before Parliament.

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which academies he has visited since becoming Secretary of State.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has visited the Bristol Brunei Academy; the Harris Girls' Academy, East Dulwich and the City of London Academy, Southwark since his appointment in June 2007.

Academies: General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his latest estimates are of the proportion of pupils in academies obtaining  (a) five or more A* to C GCSEs and  (b) five or more A* to C GCSEs, including Mathematics and English.

Jim Knight: The amended Key Stage 4 results for 2007 show that, excluding former CTCs, a total of 36 academies have GCSE results for 2007. The percentage of pupils in academies with five or more grades A*-C in 2007 was 43.7 per cent.; and the percentage with five or more grades A*-C including English and maths was 25.2 per cent.
	For the 20 academies with results in both 2006 and 2007 the percentage achieving five plus A*-C increased by 8.1 percentage points which is more than three times the increase of 2.6 percentage points seen nationally (maintained, mainstream, CTCs and academies). If English and maths is included, results in academies have risen by 5.1 percentage points which is two and a half times greater than the increase of 1.8 percentage points seen nationally.

Academies: General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many academies have performance figures for five or more GCSE exams at grades A* to C, including mathematics and English, of below 30 per cent. in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The latest school level GCSE data is for 2007. In that year, 26 out of the 40 academies with results had less than 30 per cent. of their pupils achieving five+ A* to C including English and maths.
	Results for 2006 showed that 18 out of the 24 academies that had results in that year had less than 30 per cent. of their pupils achieving five+ A* to C including English and maths.

Children: Communication Skills

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to support joint working by local authorities and primary care trusts on assisting children with communication difficulties; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what support he will provide to parents through the Children's Plan in relation to children with speech, language and communication difficulties;
	(3)  what guidance he plans to issue to  (a) parent support advisors and  (b) local authorities to help them assist parents of children with communication difficulties; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will include support for children with speech, language and communication difficulties in the Parent's Charter; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of joint working between local authorities and primary care trusts in  (a) children's centres,  (b) primary schools and  (c) secondary schools with regard to services for children with communication difficulties.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 January 2008
	Effective language and communication skills are fundamental to children and young people's learning, development of social skills and fulfilment of their potential. On 11 September 2007, my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and the Secretary of State for Health launched a major review of the provision of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, to be led by the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow).
	The review will build on the investment and improvements to speech and language therapy and resources in the last 10 years. It will advise the Government on how the very best provision can be mirrored in all areas and how local services can work together so children and young people up to 19 years of age get the support they need, when they need it.
	The review has been specifically asked to consider the clarity of accountability and responsibility for planning service delivery from national to local level across health, social services and education and to analyse good practice in joint working by schools, local authorities and PCTs, particularly in joint commissioning, including needs assessment and design of service delivery. As mentioned in the Children's Plan, it will also look at means of improving support and information to parents.
	The review plans to submit an interim report in March 2008 and produce a final report by July 2008.
	As regards parent support advisers, we have recently announced funding to expand their availability in every local authority. These advisers work with parents to improve children's behaviour and school attendance, offering advice with parenting, and providing support for families at the first sign a child or young person may be experiencing social, health or behavioural issues. Such support would include help where parents need it to address children's communication needs.
	The Parents' Charter, as outlined in the Children's Plan, will describe the minimum level of support all parents can expect to receive from their local authority. We are currently working on options for the design of a charter and these will be outlined in the Spring following discussion with the newly established Parents Panel.

Free School Meals: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children in each school in London receive free school meals.

Jim Knight: The percentage of pupils who are known to be eligible for and are claiming their free school entitlement in each school in London is given in the table. National level information on free school meals can be found in tables 3a, 3b and 3c of the September SFR 'Schools and Pupils in England, January 2007 (Final)', available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what number and proportion of pupils who obtained five GCSEs at Grade C or above in 2007 obtained them in English, mathematics, science, a foreign language and either history or geography.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Literacy

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of 11 and 16 year olds who were functionally illiterate in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not have a measure of functional literacy, Although level 4 is the target that we expect children to reach by the end of primary school, at level 3 pupils can read a range of texts accurately and independently; and their writing is organised, legible and clear. Figures show that 93 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved at least level 3 in English in 2007. Of the 7 per cent. of children not reaching level 3, many will have special educational needs which make the achievement of level 3 or level 4 in English a very challenging target.
	Information on the attainment of pupils in Key Stage 2 English tests is shown in the table:
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils at each  l evel   
			  Date  A  T/D  B  N  W  1  2  3  4  5  6  Total  Percentage at  l evel 4 or above  Percentage at  l evel 5 or above 
			 1996 4 0 (—) 0 0 1 7 39 41 7 0 100 49 7 
			 1996 3 0 — 2 0 1 6 30 45 12 0 100 57 12 
			 1997 3 0 4 2 (1)— (1)— 1 26 48 16 0 100 63 16 
			 1998 2 0 4 2 (1)— (1)— 1 26 48 17 0 100 65 17 
			 1999 2 0 3 2 (1)— (1)— 1 20 48 22 0 100 71 22 
			 2000 2 0 3 2 (1)— (1)— 1 17 46 29 0 100 75 29 
			 2001 1 1 3 2 (1)— (1)— 1 17 46 29 0 100 75 29 
			 2002 1 1 3 2 (1)— (1)— 1 17 46 29 0 100 75 29 
			 2003 1 1 3 2 (1)— (1)— 1 16 48 27 (1)— 100 75 27 
			 2004 1 0 4 2 (1)— (1)— 1 14 50 27 (1)— 100 78 27 
			 2005 1 0 4 2 (1)— (1)— 1 14 52 27 (1)— 100 79 27 
			 2006 1 0 4 1 (1)— (1)— 1 14 47 32 (1)— 100 79 32 
			 2007 1 0 4 1   1 13 47 34 (1)— 100 80 34 
			 (1 )Levels W and 1 were valid in 1995 and 1996 only, Level 6 was valid from 1995-2002 only. A—represents pupils who were absent T—represents pupils working at the level of the assessment but unable to access the test D—represents pupils disapplied from teacher assessment B—represents pupils who were assessed by teacher assessment only. N—represents pupils who took the tests but failed to register a Level W—represents pupils who are "working towards" Level 1 but have not yet achieved the standards needed for Level 1. Data covers all schools entering pupils for KS2 tests 
		
	
	There is no comparable nationally expected level of achievement in literacy for 16-year-olds (pupils at the end of Key Stage 4). The Government's current public service agreement target is for 60 per cent. of 16-year-olds to achieve five good GCSE grades (A*-C) or equivalent by 2008. Figures for 2007 published on 9 January show that this target has been met. But we are raising the bar and in future the target for the end of Key Stage 4 will be measured against the proportion of pupils achieving five grades A*-C or equivalent, including GCSE English and mathematics. The figures for pupils in England achieving this standard for each year since 1998 are given as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 1998 37.0 
			 1999 38.6 
			 2000 40.0 
			 2001 40.7 
			 2002 42.1 
			 2003 41.9 
			 2004 42.6 
			 2005 44.3 
			 2006 45.3 
			 2007 460 
		
	
	In 2007 60.0 per cent. of pupils in England achieved at least Grade C in GCSE English compared with 53.2 per cent. in 1998.

London Academy Edgware

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of student attainment at the London Academy; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In 2007, 54.6 per cent. of pupils at the London Academy achieved five or more passes at grades A-G in their GCSEs. This represents an increase of 3.7 percentage points over results for 2008—significantly higher than the national improvement rate of 2.6 percentage points.
	When English and maths are included, 39.1 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more passes at grades A*-C—an increase of 7.1 percentage points over results for 2006—nearly four times the national improvement rate of 1.8 percentage points.

Primary Education: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Isle of Wight council on possible Government intervention should existing primary schools not be closed.

Jim Knight: No Ministers or officials from the Department of-Children, Schools and Families have had any discussions with the Isle of Wight council about intervention should existing primary schools not be closed undercurrent reorganisation proposals.

Pupils: English Language

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils speak English as an additional language, broken down by their first language.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not held centrally.
	As part of the School Census, schools are required to record first language data to identify those pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English; known or believed to be English; or unclassified. This information was published in the Statistical First Release: Schools and Pupils in England, and is provided in the table.
	From January 2007, where a pupil's first language is not English, schools were given the option of using the short code list (as presented in the table) or the extended language code set (which consists of over 300 language codes). Not all schools have chosen to use the extended language codes. Therefore the Department does not hold complete data for actual first language.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools( 1,2,3) : Number and percentage of pupils by first language, as at January 2007—England 
			   Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			   Primary schools( 1)  Secondary schools( 1)  Special Schools( 2) 
			   Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils( 4)  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils( 4)  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils( 4) 
			 First language is known or believed to be other than English 447,480 13.5 342,240 10.5 8,390 9.9 
			 First language is known or believed to English 2,855,830 86.4 2,924,050 89.5 76,280 90.1 
			 Unclassified(5) 1,070 0.0 1,860 0.1 20 0.0 
			 Total(6) 3,304,370 100.0 3,268,160 100.0 84,680 100.0 
			 (1 )Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2 )Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes General Hospital Schools.  (3) Excludes dually registered pupils.  (4 )The number of pupils by their first language expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils of compulsory school age and above.  (5) Information was not sought or revised.  (6 )Pupils of compulsory school age and above.   Note:   Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.   Source: School Census.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on average per pupil in  (a) state schools and  (b) private schools in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is set out in the following table. As my Department does not collect information for the independent sector, information for independent day school fees are taken from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Census.
	
		
			  Per pupil funding 
			  Cash (£) 
			   (a)  (b) 
			   State schools  Independent day schools: average annual day fees—academic year 
			   R evenue and capital funding—financial year  ISC's old methodology  ISC's new methodology 
			 2002-03 3,650 6,550 — 
			 2003-04 4,100 7,300 — 
			 2004-05 4,400 7,650 — 
			 2005-06 4,750 8,150 — 
			 2006-07 5,100 8,800 8,100 
			  Notes: 1. Independent school figures taken from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Census. 2. ISC figures are on an academic year basis while state school funding is on a financial year basis. 3. In 2006-07, the ISC introduced a new methodology for calculating average fees. Both are shown. 4. Figures rounded to nearest £50. 
		
	
	As set out in Budget 2006, it is the Government's aim, over time and adjusting for inflation, to increase levels of maintained school funding to average private sector day school levels in that year, 2005-06. Our private sector target is an estimated £8,000 per pupil in independent day schools in 2005-06 compared with total revenue and capital funding per pupil in the maintained sector of £4,750. We have so far increased maintained sector funding to £5,550 per pupil this year, which is £5,300 in real terms at 2005-06 prices.
	As a result of the comprehensive spending review settlement for education, total per pupil revenue and capital funding will rise to £6,600 in 2010-11, or £5,750 per pupil in real terms at 2005-06 prices. This means that between 2005-06 and the end of the CSR period we will have raised maintained sector funding by £1,000 per pupil in real terms, equivalent to closing the gap with the private sector target by 30 per cent.
	Progress over future spending reviews will depend on the Government's fiscal position; demographic change; and progress by schools in continuing to deliver improvements in results and wider support for parents and pupils.
	Budget 2006 also announced a separate commitment to close the gap between the state sector and private sector levels of per pupil capital investment. The schools capital settlement for 2008-11 fully closes this gap by providing for maintained sector capital investment to rise to £1,110 per pupil by 2010-11 which is in Sine with 2005-06 private sector levels, adjusted for inflation.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many surplus places there are in each local authority in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of surplus places through an annual survey. The most recent published data relates to the position at January 2007 and shows the breakdown of surplus places by local authority in primary and secondary schools. The data is available at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/fallingschoolrolls/context/stats/ and a copy has been placed in the Library.

Schools: Admissions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what options other than closing schools are available to local education authorities to address an excess of school places.

Jim Knight: Surplus school places can represent a poor use of resources. Local authorities must examine the benefits and drawbacks of redeploying resources tied up in surplus school places for the wider benefit of pupils in the area.
	Individual authorities must determine how to reduce levels of surplus places, but reducing surplus need riot always mean school closures. Capacity can be reduced by removing temporary accommodation, consolidating split site schools, or by rationalising school space. Rationalisation can involve adapting accommodation for alternative use and broadening the services their schools offer in line with the likely future pattern of children's services and the needs of local communities. We also encourage schools to pool resources through working more closely together either through federation or close collaboration.
	Advice on the range of options available to local authorities to tackle primary falling rolls can be found at www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/fallingschool rolls/ and a copy has been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Armed Forces

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the annual schools census in 2008 will include collection of data on children of families in military service.

Jim Knight: The School Census is on a termly basis and is carried out in spring, summer and autumn.
	A data item new for 2008 is being collected, namely 'Service Children in Education Indicator'; which indicates if a child has a parent or parents who are service personnel, serving in regular HM Forces military units of all forces and exercising parental care and responsibility; This data item is collected in the spring census only.

Schools: Flags

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department provides to schools on the display of flags.

Jim Knight: No guidance has been issued to schools on this issue. Schools are free to fly the Union flag on any day they choose, but it is for individual schools whether to do so or not.

Secondary Education: Standards

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of school leavers in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007 attained GCSE Grade A in (i) English language and (ii) mathematics; and what proportion of school leavers attained Grade A in each subject at O Level in the last year of that examination.

Jim Knight: The information required to answer the first part of the question is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   1996-97  2006-07 
			   A*  A  A*  A 
			 English Language 1.7 7.4 4,2 12.2 
			 Mathematics 1.5 6.7 4.7 10.9 
			  Notes: 1 The 1996-97 figures relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August 1996.  2 The 2006-07 figures relate to all pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. 
		
	
	The last academic year O levels were taken was 1986-87.
	O level results are not available by grade for each subject; results were published giving the number of pupils achieving O level grades A-G or GSE grade 1. The proportions for 1986-87 are given in the following table as well as the percentage of pupils achieving GCSE grades A-C in 2006-07:
	
		
			  Proportion/ Percentage 
			   1986-87  2006-07 
			 English Language 46.2% 58.7% 
			 Mathematics 37.1% 53.5% 
			  Sources:  1. The 1986-87 figures were taken from 'Statistics of Leavers—CSE and GCE—ISSN 0266-2728.  2. The 1996-97 figures were taken from 'Statistics of Education—Public Examinations, GCSE/GNVQ and GCE in England, 1997' - ISBN 0-11-271037-9.  3. The 2006-2007 figures have been derived from the achievement and attainment tables and taken from the revised 2007 SFR, published on 9 January 2008, found at the following link: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml

Secondary Education: Teaching Methods

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when every secondary school pupil will have a personal tutor throughout their school years;
	(2)  what funding will be provided to enable every secondary school pupil to have a personal tutor throughout their school years;
	(3)  what plans there are to give every secondary school pupil a personal tutor throughout their school years.

Jim Knight: Personal tutors will be members of staff who take responsibility for monitoring the academic and personal development of individual pupils in the round; working with their parents and other professionals to co-ordinate a tailored package of support which helps all pupils make the best possible progress. The tutors were announce in the Children's Plan, and build on recommendations made in "2020 Vision"—the report of the Teaching and Learning in 2020 Review led by Christine Gilbert and published in January 2007—that every secondary school pupil should have a 'learning guide'.
	Our aim is that every secondary school pupil will have access to a personal tutor by the end of the Comprehensive Spending Review period (March 2011). Funding for personal tutors is provide within schools' base budgets, via local authorities, through the Dedicated Schools Grant's Personalised Learning strand. The 2008-11 CSR provides £1.6 billion within schools' base budgets to ensure that schools have the capacity to deliver Personalised Learning as a whole, including personal tutors.
	This work is in the planning and research stage. We are currently undertaking a programme of school visits to inform potential delivery models and decisions about piloting.